Possession
by blurred3883
Summary: Ed and Winry were never much of a couple, but what would happen if Ed found out she'd turned to cutting herself? And what's with the weird voice? EdxWinry
1. Obsessed

A/N- This is my first FMA fanfic, so if I get some things wrong, please correct me.

Disclaimer- I don't own any Full Metal Alchemist characters, or any episodes, or the show, for that matter.

Summary- Ed and Winry were never much of a couple, but what would happen if Ed found out she'd turned to cutting herself? And what's with that weird voice?

Chapter 1- Obsession

_Just look at him..._

Winry looked upwards at the short blonde alchemist, just a few yards away from her, standing there with his brother Al, who had his new body. At least those two were perfectly happy, Winry thought.

_Doesn't it make you want to kill someone?_

And it did. Though Winry didn't want to admit it, she was agreeing with this strange new voice inside of her head. It started having strange conversations with her just a mere few days ago, when she was having a horrible time getting over the fact that Edward Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist, Dog of the Military, childhood friend, and the one person she had actually believed she could have a future with, was entirely uninterested in her.

_He'll see someday... Someday soon. You mean him no harm._

Oh but she did. She wanted to do so many things do Edward, some horrible, and some wonderful, but all in all, she just really wanted to be with him. Her thoughts were heavy, and a strong wind somehow managed to knock them out of her. Though she was content with the fact that she could just stare at Ed, she knew inside, that she wanted more.

"Hey Winry! You gonna get the new measurements on my automail or what?" Ed's voice rang out over the distance. But that's why he was there, wasn't it? To get his automail fixed and to leave Winry alone again, with only her grandmother, for so long. She felt underappreciated as she answered.

"Yeah, just... Come inside the house."

_You don't want him there. Don't bring him inside._

Winry ignored the voice and showed Ed on to the couch, where he plopped down as Winry went to fetch the measuring tape. Al sat down next to him, and they went into a conversation on how Resembowl hadn't changed at all while they'd been gone. Of course not, Winry thought to herself. The only change was that those two had left, and over the years, she'd been losing her mind. Maybe the process was slow, but it was taking it's toll on the poor girl.

Finally, after a few more seconds of mindless searching, Winry located the measuring tape and returned to Ed and Al. Ed, who was starting to get a little impatient, was drumbing his fingers on the coffee table in front of him. He gave Winry a huge grin when she walked back into the room.

_Doesn't he just annoy the hell out of you? I know you want to hurt him..._

"No..." Winry said quietly to herself, settling down next to Ed as he rolled up the sleeve of his huge red trenchcoat. "Ed..." Winry inspected Ed's automail with delight, though it didn't show through on her face at the moment. "You really should learn to take better care of your arm. It's starting to lose it's shine."

"Honestly, is that all you care about? How shiny something is?" Ed joked. Winry didn't take it as one.

_If he's bothering you, just take your wrench, haul off and smack him upside the head. It would make a huge difference._

It would, but Winry decided against it. "No, Edward, I care that the mechanisms in your arm are working, although it does look a bit nicer when they're shiny. For someone who has to live with automail for the rest of his life, you certainly don't seem to put much thought into making it look nice." Ed snorted at her comment, and looked to Al for some support. Al gave support, alright, but to the opposing Winry.

"Maybe she's right, brother... You really should take better care of it." Al's long, blonde ponytail was tossed around as he turned his head immediately to the right, to ignore whatever Ed's next comment would be.

Ed's face wore a disgusted expression. "I'd really think you'd be more respectful to me after I restored your body, don't you?" Al sighed. Winry finally finished with Ed's arm. "How much is it gonna cost?" Ed asked sadly, looking towards the ground.

_Everything..._

"I'm not ready to make an estimate quite yet, but I only have to repair your arm, not make a new one. So, not a whole lot..."

_Think of what you're saying. You could charge him so many things..._

She could have, but she didn't. "I'll work on it tomorrow... It's getting late." It was only four in the afternoon, but Ed dismissed the conversation without being too worried. Winry would usually have already had his arm yanked off, and would have been to work, at her desk, repairing the automail and shining it to its fullest potential. Something was wrong with her, and Ed didn't notice. Al did, however. "If you'll excuse me..." Al would have stopped her, but she went running out of the room, full speed, up the stairs, into the bathroom, where she slammed the door behind her.

"Calm down, Winry..." She told herself, breathing deeply as she collapsed to the floor. Every night for about a week she'd run to this exact location, and from here on out, began to do some terrible things, particularly self-harmful things she didn't like to think about when she didn't have to. But the voice inside her head made her remember them. And whenever Winry didn't want to hurt herself, that voice inside her head... It pushed her.

_Come on. You know you want to. Your life is horrible and you have every reason in the world to do it. Don't be ashamed..._

She didn't want to, but she agreed with the nameless voice. Finally standing up, and reaching into the cabinet beside her, she pulled out a sharp razor, capable of cutting through skin like a hot knife through butter. Next, she did exactly what you'd expect her to do. Taking the blade, she moved it down her skin, creating a deep gash in which a crimson red liquid flowed through freely, dropping onto the tiled floor beneath her.

_Very good. See, was that so bad? Don't you feel better?_

"Not really..." Winry lied. But she did, and that was what mattered. The voice inside her head was right and she was wrong. It had won the battle again, as it had many times before now. Pulling a white towel out of the cupboard and pressing it tightly to her wrist, she thought to herself. Great, another towel ruined... What would Pinako think was becoming of the rags?

_You should get some sleep..._

"It's four in the afternoon." Winry always made sure she was keeping her voice down, so others wouldn't think she'd gone insane. She thought she had, however.

_Do as I say, or bad things will happen._

Winry sighed, and left for her room. Whenever she didn't listen to the voice, bad things really did seem to happen. She'd learned that the first night the voice had ever appeared in her head...

-Flashback-

"Winry, dear, what are you doing?" Pinako had walked outside to find Winry, laying on the ground in a heap, next to Den, who was licking her face happily. She was completely tired out, after running a few laps around the house, trying to help Den get some excercise. How that dog loved to chase her.. "Winry?" Finally, she looked up.

"I'm sorry Granny, did I scare you?"

"A little." Pinako gave her a grave look. "I was just worried you'd collapsed or something."

_Well you did collapse, didn't you?_

"Who said that?" Winry asked with curiosity, a little frightened. The voice wasn't recognizable.

"Are you hearing things, Winry?" Pinako asked. Winry nodded, because obviously there was no one else there who could have said that, unless Den was learning to speak English, which was highly unlikely. With that, Pinako walked back into the house, a little worried about her grandaughter. Although people heard things all the time, usually when they were over-stressed, something seemed a little strange, and she wasn't sure what quite yet.

Alone outside now, Winry looked around for whomever had just spoken to her. "Hello?" She said quietly. There was no response. At least not right away.

Later that night, she was sitting in her room, just positioned comfortably on her bed and looking around when her eyes came to rest on a shark tooth she'd bough from when she was very young. It looked so shiny, and furthermore, it was...

_Sharp. Very sharp. Haven't you ever wondered what it would feel like to move something along your skin? It would be sensational, let me tell you..._

"What?" Winry gasped alloud, and covered her mouth with her hands a second later to stop the noise from coming out. She wondered if other people could hear what she was hearing, but she figured not, since her grandmother hadn't heard it earlier.

_Cut yourself with it._

"But why would I do such a thing?" Winry asked, frightened. Was she losing her mind?

_Because it would feel nice. I know how you miss that Elric boy... Yes, Edward Elric._

The voice was raspy, and was quickly identifying all of Winry's weaknesses, Edward being the biggest one. Since meeting him as a child, she'd always taken a considerable liking to him, and wondered what the future could hold for the two if everything played out correctly. Things hadn't been going so great lately. Ed was gone, had joined the military in search of a way to get his limbs back. The two replacement limbs he had were created by Winry, and she was beginning to think that maybe her automail wasn't good enough.

_Just face it. You're too unnoticable. Make yourself noticable. No you can't do that.. You're too weak, little girl. Cut yourself. It will make you feel better._

"No!" Winry replied, more quiet than before. The voice was becoming more forceful. A semi-silent threat. She lept off of her bed, her dress swayed by the turbulance she'd created from arrising in such a quick manner, and proceeded to walk towards the steps.

_If you don't cut yourself, I'll make you hurt worse._

"You can't!" And not heeding the warning, she walked to the stairs. It seemed the second she'd stepped onto the first, she lost her balance, her hands slipping from the railing as she tumbled down the stairs. When she hit the bottom, she blacked out, and felt lost to the world.

-End Flashback-

It seemed Winry always learned lessons the hard way, but the way she'd learned to listen to the horror inside of her head was the worst of all. And as she snuggled between the covers of her bed, praying that Ed and Al wouldn't think anything was too terribly wrong with her, and hoping her Grandmother wouldn't be distraught about finding them a place to sleep for the night, she could only think of the nightmares she knew were soon to come, caused by the voice in her mind, prying at her, ripping and tearing, begging for her to cause more chaos in the world.

A/N- Hope that was a good start. Until next time. I love reviews, so please review.


	2. Sweet Dreams

A/N- Time now for chapter 2, I suppose. I've wanted to write this story for the longest time, and I guess I finally am.

Disclaimer- I don't own FMA or the characters.

Chapter 2- Sweet Dreams

_Wake up, child._

But when Winry woke up, she found, she wasn't actually awake. More like in the middle of a pitch black dream, some weird force carrying her somewhere she didn't want to be. And she knew right where she was going, too.

Soon after, as she found she had been correct, she was once again standing in her living room, the second night in which that odd voice had appeared in her mind, threatening to cause her more pain if she didn't do as she was told. Since she had been unharmed from simply falling down the stairs, Winry still couldn't believe that it was anything more than a mere coincidence.

It was storming outside, and really storming horribly. The thunder was exceedingly loud, and the lightning was almost enough to blind a person, but somehow, it didn't worry Winry. The voice in her head was telling her to do some absurd things again. She still wouldn't listen.

_I told you, damnit, to get over there and grab that knife!_

"And do what with it, exactly!" Winry protested, hoping that she was imagining all of this. She didn't want the problems escalating to anything they didn't need to be.

_Stab yourself._

For Winry, the pressure was becoming a bit too much, but she hadn't given in yet. "No! Granny's gone, and if I stab myself and she comes home to find me dead, what would she think?"

_Listen to me, you stupid girl. Everyone will be a lot happier if you'd just do as I say._

"I won't." A detirmined look on her face, Winry wandered over as far as she could to be away from the kitchen area, away from all of those sharp objects that had been almost completely surrounding her.

_Then I'll do it for you._

"What?" And that was all it took, Winry's alarmed voice, suddenly turned into screaming as the wind blew harder outside, somehow breaking the window she was standing in front of. Glass rained down on top of her, one piece jabbing into her upper arm. A thick stream of blood was flowing, but Winry was okay. "Ow..." She mumbled, picking it out as best she could. "Who are you?" She asked, hoping the voice would answer her. It did.

_I suppose you'll find out sooner or later, maybe, that is._

And that was all Winry was allowed to see or remember of the dream before she was yanked to a new one. Another horrible memory from a few days ago. The only real difference was, that after this incident had happened, she had fully done whatever the voice in her head had asked, whether it mean self-harm for her or not.

Pinako was in the kitchen, preparing some dinner for herself and her grandaughter. Winry was hurridly working on some automail that would have to be finished by the early morning. It was, she thought, one of the most beautiful pieces she had ever made. It wasn't perfect, though. Ed's was perfect. She'd put so much hard work into his automail, and yet she imagined he probably treated it like dirt.

_I've told you before to stop thinking about that Elric boy. It causes you more stress than you're worth..._

"But... I miss him."

_Yes, well, too bad. He doesn't care about you. He never has, and he never will. All the more reason for you to hurt yourself. Forget your pain._

"How is that forgetting my pain if I'm just trying to hurt myself physically instead of mentally?"

_You've felt it. How that blood flowed when the glass struck your arm. Don't you think that pain was easier to deal with than being lonely?_

It made a good point, but still, Winry didn't feel like worrying her grandmother. She wouldn't go through the pain if she didn't have to, and she didn't. "I just can't do it... I'm too scared."

_So you admit it. You want to hurt yourself, but you can't. You're afraid. You coward._

"There's no reason to try."

_Fine then._

A few seconds later, Pinako was on the floor, having a seizure, or at least what looked an aweful lot like a seizure. Shaking horribly, after the plate she'd been holding had fallen to the ground and smashed next to her, Winry stared in fear. "No, you can't do this!" She begged, again hoping, praying that voice was listening.

_Oh, but I can. I can do many things. Now do as I say, and she'll go back to normal. Don't worry, she can't see you. Not on the ground like that, at least._

And grabbing the knife from the holder, miserably, Winry slashed up her arm, blood trickling at first, then starting to flow more heavily. That very first time, it stung so bad, and Winry cried harder than she'd ever cried in her entire life. What was happening to her? Who the hell was talking to her, telling her to do these things? It didn't matter. What was done was done, and a moment later, Pinako returned to normal. Breathing normally. She was unconscience, but Winry knew she was safe for now.

That was all. The dream ended, and finally, Winry awoke in a hurry, sure that this was reality.

Having bad dreams, she did what any normal person would do. She cried a little, hating herself for all that was happening, and for how much she wanted so many little things. They all seemed so unachievable in her condition. Still, the voice in her head never let her rest. Not unless it decided it was time for her to get some sleep. Now that it was five in the morning, Winry was certain she was allowed to get up, and get a nice start on Ed's automail.

Yes, automail. She was an automail engineer, and the voice couldn't change that. Winry wouldn't let it. Not for the world, not for anything. Well, maybe for Ed... But it was best not to think about Ed when she was in such a state of depression.

She walked down the stairs, only to realize she wasn't the only one awake. There was a blonde, sitting in the chair, staring at her with extreme interest, ready to take caution if need be.

"Winry, we need to talk," Al's voice said softly as Winry rushed over to turn on the light.

_Not this little bastard... He's meaningless._

"About what?" Winry asked, putting on a fake smile. Al sat up a little more, brushing his bangs out of his face. He looked more and more like Ed everyday, and this goes to show you just how much Winry appreciated it. She could practice with him. It was almost like talking to Ed, only Al was a hell of a lot nicer.

"Something's wrong with you. You went to bed at four in the afternoon. What's up?"

"I was just tired. Everything's fine, okay?" Al nodded.

"If anything happens... You'd be sure to tell me, right?" Winry nodded at him, giving him an even bigger smile as she walked away. Maybe Al wasn't so bad either. She just couldn't give up on Ed though. She'd never forgive herself if she did, and besides that, she wanted to prove the voice wrong.

_Winry, I'm dissapointed in you..._

It said her name. For the first time she'd heard, it had said her name. Something was up.

_You can't have that Elric boy, or his brother. I'll make sure of that._

And the phone rang. At five in the morning, the phone was ringing. Winry picked it up, and sighed at the voice she heard at the other end of the line. "Hello?"

"Yes, this is Lt. Colonel Roy Mustang speaking. Is Edward Elric there?" She dropped the phone for a second. Al stared in slight alarm.

"Winry... What's wrong?"

"Get your brother... It's Roy." And Al knew, once again, whether or not he and Ed wanted to have some peace and quiet for a while, or whether or not Ed wanted to quit the military, Roy wasn't going to let them.

"Oh, and that's Al, correct?" Roy's voice came from the reciever again.

"Uh, yes," Winry said, picking the phone back up. "Why?"

"Could I speak with him as well? These are some important matters. Or I guess you should just tell them I need to see them in central as soon as possible." And somehow, Ed must have had supersonic hearing, because he came rushing down the stairs, and within a matter of seconds, the phone was in his hand again.

"Mustang, you bastard! I have to get my automail fixed! What the hell is this about? At five in the fucking morning? You've got to be kidding me!" Winry flinched at the sound of Ed's cussing, but soon got over it as she tried to hear Roy's answer.

"We've got another mission for you. But before that, we've decided to make your brother a state alchemist."

And once again, Winry knew, this was the work of that voice.

A/N- Well, what do you think is going to happen? I'll try to update A.S.A.P.


	3. Ed's New Problem

A/N- Sorry if chapter 3 seems a little long... I went a little overboard I guess, but all the better. More to read!

Disclaimer- I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters.

Chapter 3- Ed's New Problem

After being away from Edward for five years... Five years... How was the twenty-one year old Winry supposed to feel when she knew he was going to be gone again? She wasn't even sure this was her fault, but blamed it on herself anyway, thinking the voice might just be one of her many creations after suffering from lonliness for so long. It was now that Winry was abandoning the idea of ever getting married, and if she couldn't have that, well... Best not to think about it.

Working on Ed's automail, she cautiously took a quick look around the room, her eyes shifting from one area to another. She wanted to know for certain that Al wasn't looming over her, expecting an explanation for her strange way of life lately. He got off on following her around the house sometimes, and Ed begged for him to leave her alone, because Ed, who thought he knew everything, was certain there was nothing wrong with Winry. Al knew better.

Since she couldn't detect Al's presense, she stood up, ready to make her way to the upstairs bathroom for her usual slash session. The voice in her head was acting up again, and she never knew how long she could deny it before something bad happened to someone. She just hoped that Edward wouldn't be killed on whatever misson Roy was sending him on.

Edward, meanwhile, sat in the guest room, appreciating the silence as he read yet another book on alchemy. You never could know everything, right? Well, Ed didn't think so, at least. He heard Winry walk by, and shifted his weight a little to another side, hoping she'd come back with his repaired arm soon. Having only one arm to work with was slightly uncomfortable, and a little weird looking. When he heard the bathroom door slam, he just sighed to himself. That was when Al walked into the room, some sort of detirmined look on his face. Edward, being Al's brother, knew this look very well.

"Brother, something's up with Winry," Al stated, lowering his voice so Winry, whatever she might be doing, wouldn't hear him talking about her. Ed looked up, and rolled his eyes, trying to ignore Al's protests. "I'm serious, Ed. She's acting strangely."

"Well maybe she changed a little while we were gone. You know, five years can be a long time to some people..." Still, Al protested.

"How often have you known Winry to put off fixing your automail for a day at a time? She's obsessed with automail. Something's wrong with her. And aside from that..." Al took a moment to reach into the pocket of the trench coat he had on. It was red, like Edwards. What he pulled out was quite odd looking to Ed. A razor, stained with drying blood, a little bit dull from some obvious overuse. "I think..." Ed gulped. "She might be slaughtering animals."

"Al! What are you, an idiot!" Ed slapped himself over the face. "Where did you find that thing, anyway? If you found it in the kitchen, it's possible that's food on it or something..."

"I found it on Winry's bed." At this, Ed cringed a little, thinking of what this might mean.

"Eh, you never know with girls..." Ed replied, brushing his brother off as he returned to his reading. Al still refused to give up, and walked out of the room, probably to try and have a quick talk with Winry if she wasn't too busy working on the automail. Just as he was walking down the hallway, the door opened up, right in his face.

Winry was lucky she'd hidden the towel in the bathroom this time instead of bringing it with her, or she would have been in a rather large predicament. "Hey Winry," Al said, happily. Winry smiled at him. He held up the razor, and her expression immediately changed to fear. Al could tell something was the matter. "I found this in your room. I was wondering why you'd have one."

"Oh that..." Winry began. Great. What would she say to this?

_It doesn't matter what he thinks. Just walk away._

"No..." Winry muttered under her breath.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, everything's fine. It's just... uh... I found that outside earlier today. I was looking at it. I wanted to know where it came from. You know, I should really get working on Ed's automail." Alphonse nodded and let her walk away, as he stalked back into the guest room, feeling no achievement whatsoever.

Later that day, as Winry worked on Ed's automail, the phone rang again. This time, she didn't answer it. She knew she'd disobeyed the voice earlier when it told her to walk away from Al, and she didn't want to think that it was trying to interfere with her life again. Instead, she continued working as though nothing had happened. Hours went by, until it was eleven at night. Winry still hadn't eaten dinner.

Edward was laying on the guest room bed, trying his hardest to fall asleep, and feeling the unmistakable absence of his arm, this was somewhat difficult. Without his automail, he felt incomplete. And that was what he was. Incomplete. He'd been so ever since he was ten years old, ever since that horrible day he'd attempted human transmutation. He remembered it perfectly...

His brother screaming. Poor Al. His body was slowly being broken down by alchemy. His entire body. Ed had been lucky, just losing his leg. But knowing he could never live without his brother, and although it was selfish, knowing he could never live being the last Elric alive, had sacrificed his right arm to bind Al's soul into a suit of armor. It had been just five years ago that Al had finally been put back into the flesh, as a ten year old boy.

Now Al was fifteen and learning to deal with physical pain more and more everyday. Ed couldn't believe how lucky he was, to witness how happy his brother was these days, now that he was normal. After these thoughts, Ed finally found himself drifting into a deep sleep.

_Edward..._

He awoke with a start, hearing some strange, raspy voice in his head. Or maybe not. Someone was speaking to him, and the voice, although it was raspy and sounded a bit different than usual, also seemed oddly familliar...

Ed looked around. The clock next to him said it was two-thirty in the morning. Not nearly late enough that Ed would be getting up, and that it would seem normal.

_Edward Elric!_

He jerked a little, moving around to get a better view of the room. Where was the voice coming from? It sounded so real. Surely he couldn't be imagining it. "What?" He asked in alarm, quietly, as Al was laying in the other bed, probably sleeping. At least Ed hoped he wasn't awake to see what happened next. It scared Ed out of his mind. Something was different. No, more than one thing. More along the lines of two.

_Listen to me. You never did like seeing your brother happy, did you?_

"Yeah I did..." Ed answered. "Why? Of course I love seeing Al happy..." Ed sat up. No... He pushed himself up. With one arm? This didn't seem quite right...

_Well, even if you did... Now, you didn't really think it was fair that Al had all of his limbs, right?_

And at this, Ed seemed suprised. Looking down, he found that, yes, he did in fact have his right arm back. "What the hell?" He asked, though on the inside, he was happy enough. Lifting up the blankets, he found his left leg was no longer mechanical. It was real. Flesh. It had feeling to it. "Whoever you are... Thank you," Ed said.

_Don't mention it. Just one thing though._

"What?"

_I'm going to want something from you in return, Edward Elric._

Ed seemed a little startled at this. "What do you mean, something in return? I thought this was just a gift.. And who are you?"

_It will be answered in time, Edward. In time. You needn't worry about doing anything you wouldn't usually do. It will take a few days, but you will be able to repay me. Oh yes, in some of the greatest of ways. You will repay me._

And without another word, the voice in Ed's head was gone. No matter how much he called to it, asked it questions, or even tried to have a small conversation with it, it would not answer. Finally, about a half an hour later, he gave up. He made sure to pull the covers tightly over him, so he could suprise Al in the morning. Then again, was it really possible to explain how he'd gotten his limbs back? No...

He couldn't possibly tell Winry he didn't need her automail anymore, either. It would break her heart. He'd decided then and there that he wouldn't tell anyone. Not for a long time. Ed figured he'd be able to keep everything secret, and things would be normal. Too bad he didn't notice the red markings appearing all over his body.

Five came, and Winry awoke, her first thought of Ed's unfinished automail, which lay downstairs, forgotten. She hadn't finished it. Of course, she hadn't been able to, with her wrist swollen and everything. "I wonder what's on the agenda for today," she said sadly to herself, examining her wrist. How much more blood could she afford to lose? She wasn't sure.

Rising from her sleeping position, Winry took in those first few beams of morning sunlight as she opened her curtains. The breeze that was flowing through felt wonderful, almost as though it were haulting all of her pain, inside and out, whether it be the slashed wrist or the lonliness.

_Fresh air is not good for you, Winry._

"Fresh air is good for everyone," Winry replied, not ready to take any shit this early in the morning. Especially not from a bodiless voice she barely even understood the ramblings of to begin with. "And I am like everyone else, so I'll breathe fresh air in all I want to."

_No girl. You're far different from everyone else. No one understands you. You don't belong here..._

And it was so, at the sound of these words, that Winry felt her strong lead for the morning weakening, falling apart before she could do anything to prevent it. She felt like she could break down crying again, like she had the first time she'd felt the knife slicing away at the skin on her bare wrist. "But where else do I have to go?" Winry asked, sadly. She was talking to no one in particular, but the voice answered anyway.

_Why don't you come with me? I think I know some people you'd fit in with really well._

"Like who?" Winry replied.

_Trust me. You'll adore them. It would take some time, but you'd get to liking them._

Winry sighed, deciding not to answer the voice. It was certain. She wanted to leave, to run away from here and never return, hopefully to find somewhere she'd truely belong, with people who'd accept her. But then there was Pinako, and Al, Den, and... Edward. She couldn't leave Edward. Couldn't bring herself to believe that she didn't care about him, when she knew so well that she did. The voice would not hear of it though.

_Give up on that damn Elric. He's good for nothing. In fact, he's hiding something from you..._

Winry did not doubt that Ed would hide something from her. He'd done it in the past, and nothing stopped him from doing it now. She walked downstairs, a grim expression on her face as she wandered towards the automail. It was almost finished, at least. A few touches here and there, and then it would shine in all its glory, looking as perfect as it always had. Winry's best work. Something to remember. And sure enough, a few minutes later, it was done, completed, ready for Ed to trash it up again. That thought depressed Winry worse than ever, but she wasn't letting it get to her yet this morning.

She was about to go tell Edward, even if she had to wake him up, when he came bounding down the stairs, trenchcoat closed tightly together, right arm shoved down in his pocket, so it still looked as though he had automail there. "Thanks, Winry!" He said happily, grabbing the piece from her before she could react. "You know, how about I save you the trouble and put this in myself?" He asked, walking into the bathroom and slamming the door behind him.

Winry should have known something was wrong, but she ignored it, instead concentraiting on the question as to why he wasn't letting her install it for him. She believed he was distancing himself from her, and she began to feel that great saddness taking over her again. She was left staring at the ground until Ed came out of the bathroom again, smiling more than ever as he ran over to Winry, and for the first time in a great while, gave her a hug.

Suprised as she was, and for how long she felt she should appreciate this gift of honor, something didn't feel quite right about it. His right arm hadn't felt metal at all. Then again, maybe it was just her, happily taking in how it felt to be hugged by the fullmetal alchemist. After all, what would the military call Ed if he no longer had automail?

"Something wrong, Winry?" Ed asked her, releasing his grip. Winry shook her head and smiled at him. No matter how much she wanted to concentrait on his face, no matter how happy he looked, staring into her eyes fakely, trying to make her believe he was happy that she had worked on the automail, her eyes trailed off to another corner of the room, where Al was standing, smiling at the two. "Well Al, I guess we should be going then, right? Now like that jerk Mustang wants to take any of my shit today..." Al nodded. "Sorry Winry. I'd love to stay for breakfast, but we've gotta catch the first train to central." And without a goodbye, Ed was out the door. Al stopped next to Winry.

"I'll call you after they give me my name." Al said. "We'll make sure we come back, I promise." Winry nodded at him, and watched as he ran to catch up with Ed.

A/N- Like I said, longer than usual. Chapter 4's gonna be awesome...


	4. Rush Valley Kidnappings

A/N- Glad to see people like the story! I'm hoping to get chapters updated very quickly so I can finish with this story before school starts. Ugh... High school sucks. I apologize if the plot goes a little fast in this chapter.

Disclaimer- I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters.

Chapter 4- Rush Valley Massacre

Edward and Alphonse Elric took a few steps into Roy's office. It was freezing from the air conditioner being on, and Ed actually thought he heard that voice again, calling to him, telling him that cold was all he would be feeling within the next few days. He ignored it, still hoping at least some of it was his imagination.

"Ah, yes, the Elrics. Good to see you normal, Al." Al nodded at him, and Ed smiled, happy for his brother, and for himself. "On to business." Roy lifted some papers out of his desk, and handed the one on the top to Al, who examined it thoroughly. His face changed to an almost frightened expression. He knew Ed wouldn't be happy. Not at all. "Sorry, but we thought the name sounded a little more like you."

"Sewing Life Alchemist?" Al read, and Ed immediately gave Roy a death glare. "But... I can't..." Al didn't have to finish his sentence, because within the next few seconds, Ed was already showing just how outraged he was.

"Mustang, you son of a bitch!" Edward yelled, ripping the paper out of Al's hands and inspecting it. "I can't believe you! That jerk... He used his daughter! How could you name my brother, fucking kindness in a can, after that horrible, stupid..." Roy had to stop Ed there, because in all honesty, he didn't want to her any more about it.

"I apologize, Edward, for forgetting your inability to get over instances from nine years ago. How careless of me." Roy grabbed Ed by the left arm and held it up in the air, trying to make a point to Ed by looking straight into his eyes. "Your brother's military name is the Sewing Life Alchemist, whether you like it or not. I can assure you, it is not because we feel that Al will use his power to create chimeras from human beings." He let go of Ed's arm, and Ed yanked himself backward. Roy turned to Al. "You have no problem with this?"

"No, of course not!" Al answered, hoping Ed wouldn't get angry at him just for trying to be polite. It wasn't that Al couldn't remember the death of poor Nina. It was simply that he understood there was a God out there, and all things happened for a reason. Ed didn't believe in God. No wonder Ed couldn't take it.

"Well then. Here's your mission. Ed..." Roy looked at the short alchemist again, and finally, Ed sighed and walked forward to join his brother. "The two of you need to make your way to Rush Valley. There's been some strange kidnappings down there, and just a few days ago, one of the bodys was found at a butcher shop, mauled." The thought of this reminded Ed of Barry the Chopper, and how he'd been so unfortunate to run into him when he was only twelve years old.

"And you want us to figure out who's behind all of it?" Roy nodded.

"Send me the report as soon as possible. I want a full overlook of that entire town, from the canyons to all of the automail shops." For some reason, Ed couldn't stop himself, but his pupils grew small from the simple word... Automail. What was he going to do if anyone ever found out he no longer had his automail?

"I guess we'll be off then," Edward replied, snatching the second paper from out of Roy's hand and leading his brother to the outside world. He sighed. "Now we have to wait for the next train..." Al pointed towards a schedule at the train station.

"It will be here within an hour or two. Maybe three if it's running late." Edward smiled at his younger brother, though Al was about three inches taller than him. He sighed again as he felt a drop of rain water hit his face. He hated train rides, especially when it stormed.

Meanwhile, back at the Rockbell house, it was a normal, regular day. Winry was attempted studying up on the finer points of making automail, when it came again.

_You're only studying because you want to make his automail better, so he'll appreciate it more. Isn't that right, Winry?_

She looked down in saddness. That was the exact reason she was studying, and besides that, she didn't know what more she could do to help Ed. She only got in his way.

_Listen to me. Go to Central._

"I thought you didn't want me chasing after Ed. Why should I go to Central?"

_No, you stupid girl! I want you to come to me..._

"I won't just leave Granny! She needs me! She's getting so old!"

_Well then..._

Again, Winry felt something was wrong. Terribly wrong. There was a loud thumping noise from upstairs, and Winry, worried her Grandmother was injured in someway, ran to her aid. It was of no use.

Within one of the bedrooms, Pinako had fallen over, unmoving and without a pulse. She was dead. Winry stared at her, sadly, and that was all it took before the tears began to fall. Just a few at first, but then she began to sob uncontrollably, wondering who could do such a thing without being present in the house. And she was positive no one was there aside from her and Den. "Why would you do such a thing?" She managed to get out between her sobs, struggling to breathe.

_Because my dear child, it is urgent that you come to me, here in Central. Everything will be revealed to you. Don't you want to know who I am?_

"Oh, yes..." Winry said, clenching her fists. "I want to know who you are so I can strangle you!" She was yelling now. There was no one around to hear her. She wouldn't care if someone had heard her anyway. She was both angry and sad at the same time, and wanted revenge so bad...

_There are so many ways I could take you... I'll just have to decide on the strongest feeling._

"What are you..."

_Never mind. Just go to Central._

And within the next few minutes, there was a letter left on the table, should anyone ever come back and wonder what had happened to the Rockbell family. Den was let outside, leashless. Winry prayed that someone would find him and adopt him as their own. She headed for central, with her instructions to look for a somewhat rundown building near the north side of the city.

Later that day, Ed and Al finally arrived in Rush Valley. It was busy. Very busy. You'd think that if there was a massacre on the loose, most people would stay inside and wait for the killer to be caught. Not in Rush. Al took a look around as Ed scanned over the papers for the fifth time that day. "It says here he only goes for little girls."

"And just look at all the little girls walking around..." Al was right. There were dozens of young-aged girls around the streets, staring happily into some of the finer jewlery stores. A few even looked at automail, which again caused a sinking feeling in Ed's stomach. He still hadn't told anyone. "I'm willing to bet if we wait somewhere later tonight, we'll catch someone at it." In Ed's mind, there were thoughts of this not being the greatest idea in the world. Wouldn't a killer check to make sure he wasn't being watched before mutilating young girls? Maybe not...

"Why don't we get a room at an inn first? I need to sit down for a little while." Al gave him a strange look.

"Brother, you were sitting for the entire train ride, not to mention even before that while we were waiting." He looked at the sky, and sighed to himself, looking at the brilliant colors the setting sun was creating. "I suppose it is getting a little late. Maybe you're right. Come on." And the two trudged off to look for an inn. Halfway down the crowded street, someone pushed past the two brothers. A little girl, who looked to be around the age of twelve, crying. An older man came running after her. Al and Ed both had their immediate instincts set to grabbing him, and both of them got an arm each.

"Chasing around little girls, eh?" Ed asked him. It seemed a little suspicious. This guy looked oddly familiar. If only he didn't have his hood up... "Who are you?" Ed reached up, and attempted to pull the hood off, but the man pushed him aside, managed to get Al off of him, and ran, full speed, after the little girl. The one thing that set Ed off was that the girl looked an aweful lot like Nina... "Come on Al! That might be the massacre!"

And off they went, the strange man just barely staying in their sites. "Ed, we should have used alchemy when we had the chance!" Al said. Ed nodded back at him, but kept running, afraid to lose sight of the thought to be killer. Finally, the chase led them into a dark alleyway, where the man had the little girl cornered. "Stop right there!" He turned, knife in hand, and ran straight at Edward.

For that brief moment, Ed forgot his right arm was no longer automail as he held it up to stop the oncoming assault. He got slashed. It stung. The right sleeve of his trench coat was turning an even darker red than it had been, and Al was looking at him, questionably. But the one thing they needed to concentrait on for right now, was who was trying to slash them to death. This situation could be easily taken care of with alchemy, and Al did just that.

Transmuting some of the ground into spikes, they caught on the back of the man's hood, which fell to reveal... Lt. Jean Havoc. Why was Ed not suprised by this?

"Well Havoc, I see all of that nicotine finally got to you, didn't it?" Havoc gave him a grave look, and wouldn't speak to him, probably in fear that it would just be used against him. "Now I guess we've gotta haul your ass back to central. You are the one killing all of these girls, right?"

"No Edward, you don't understand. That's the little girl I think is the massacre. Lt. Colonel Mustang sent me here to do some research, and everything I've looked at points back to that kid, right there!" He pointed a menacing finger at the little girl, who cringed and shook her head, tears beginning to run down her eyes from fear. Little girls were getting killed at school, and every time there was a witness, that was the one!" His finger was shaking now from the extreme effort to hold it up.

_Edward Elric._

Ed's pupils got small again as he jerked backward, in a new state of mind. Clearly just conscience enough to hear the voice speaking to him. Al reached out to him, but stopped when he noticed Ed's eyes return to normal. Ed didn't want to hear this voice. Even if he was happy he had his limbs back, it was making his life a living hell that he had to hide it from everyone. "What..." He mouthed.

"Ed, are you okay?" Al asked. Ed nodded at him, and tryed to act normal as he waited for a response. It came all too quickly.

_Turn Havoc in to Mustang. Write your report, go back to Central, send your brother to Mustang with it, and come to an abandoned warehouse on the north side of the city. Bring the girl, too._

It took Ed a few seconds to think all of this through. Finally, he decided that he would repay the voice for his limbs at almost all costs, and figured he would listen to it. "Sorry Havoc... That's just a pretty unbelievable story. I'm gonna have to turn you in." And with that, the last beams of hope that had been present in Havoc's face were lost.

It was later when Ed was on the train that he began to worry about being figured out. The little girl, who went by the name of Cassidy, had fallen fast asleep next to Al. Al and Cassidy were becoming fast friends, and Ed loved the fact that Al was so kind to everyone around him. Especially little Cassidy. "Ed..." Ed looked up at Al, who was looking at him a bit sadly.

"You'd tell me if anything went wrong, right?" Ed nodded, smiling at his younger brother. "Oh..." Al looked down at the ground, his once cheerful expression saddening. Ed didn't like it when Al got upset. He knew what he had to do, but how he would explain, he was still unsure. He decided against it, at least until he could figure something out. He put his left hand out, onto Al's shoulder, and patted him.

"Aw, come on Al. You know I would." And with that, he gave his brother a hug.

Finally in Central, Winry was wandering the back of the city. The run down streets were hard to walk on, and she had to watch for pieces of broken glass and sharp stones that she could cut herself on. Though she wasn't afraid of losing blood now, she didn't want to risk getting an infection. And aside from that, she figured she'd found the building she was supposed to be at.

It was pretty big. Your average run of the mill type rundown building. Bricks littered the floor, and the door just about fell off of its hinges when Winry attempted to close it nicely.

"Don't bother," A familiar voice said. The voice... It was the same one Winry had been hearing in her head, yet the raspyness was gone. "So, little girl, I see you've finally arrived. Ready for me to mold you..."

"Who are you?" Winry asked, looking around at the pitch blackness that loomed in the building. "Why did you ask me to come here? Why'd you kill my grandmother? Why'd you make Ed and Al leave me! Who are you and what do you want from me!"

"To make you into a full fledged sin, of course." And Winry shook in terror as Envy, the only remaining deadly sin, came foward from the dark, beckoning for her to come closer.

A/N- I'm not sure if that was longer than chapter 3, but if it was, I suppose that's good. Chapter 5 should be up soon.


	5. Rebirth of the Sins

A/N- Well this chapters a little shorter... (Sad face.) Sorry...

Disclaimer- I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters.

Chapter 5- Rebirth of the Sins

Ed took his first step off of the train, with his left leg. There was still some pain in his arm from the cut, and the dryed blood that was causing the red trench coat to stick to the wound only made things worse. Al clearly knew there was something wrong as he took Cassidy's hand and helped her down the stairs. Cassidy, who shared the same apperence as Nina, also shared around the same voice, and the same personality.

"Little big brother, is something the matter?" Ed bent over to achieve the same level of height as Cassidy. Al laughed.

"What?" Ed asked, giving Al a scowl. He stopped laughing soon afterward, keeping the thought, 'He doesn't even need to bend over to be her height,' Safely into his head. "No, everything's perfectly fine." Knowing it would probably best to take some time and acknowledge the voice in his head, Edward looked to his younger brother in content. "Hey Al... I wrote this while we were on the train. Would you mind taking it up to Mustang for me?" He handed Al a page in some messy handwriting. Obviously, Ed had written fast, without a care in the world taken towards the report.

"Sure Ed, but where are you going?" Ed took Cassidy's hand in his own, and prepared to walk away from his brother.

"Just want to take Cassidy for a spin around the town... You know, let her see what it looks like and get aquainted with it and everything." He flashed Al a huge smile and waved to him, quickly dragging Cassidy away, almost against her will. Al had opened his mouth in protest, but hadn't managed to get anything out by the time his brother had dissapeared around the corner. "Alright, Cassidy, we're going to go visit a place that's uh..." He had to think of a lie. "Very important to me, okay?" Cassidy nodded at him.

_Hurry now, Edward... We need you more than ever._

'Who is this we?' Ed thought to himself as he led Cassidy towards the north end of Central.

Sure enough, a broken down building was awaiting him there, and the door was off the hinges. "How inviting," Edward said, walking towards the open doorway with a slight fear growing within him. Inside, he stared around at the dark, completely oblivious as to what was lurking to the right side of him. Cassidy moved closer to him, for fear someone would lash out at her.

"Well Fullmetal, it certainly is a joy of mine to see you hear..." And as soon as Ed caught sight of who moved out of the darkness, his pupils grew small once again. Cassidy gasped.

"You're the one who killed all my friends!" She cried out, tears suddenly coming to her eyes.

"Yes, dear, that was me," Envy replied, inching steadily closer to the two. "So Edward... What brings you here? Mysterious voices in your head? Limbs returning to you? Red markings all over your body?" At this, Ed seemed suprised. Surely he would have noticed if there really were red markings on his body... It was only then that he pulled up the sleeve of his red trench coat to see them there.

"Envy, what is this!" He yelled, stepping in front of Cassidy. "What the hell do you want! With me and Cassidy..."

"Fullmetal, you really have gotten quite stupid in those absent years on the other side of the gate, haven't you?" Envy laughed out loud to himself, but stopped, knowing there was an audiance awaiting him. "My lovely little Cassidy... Or shall we say, Nina?" Ed flinched, and looked down at the girl to the side of him. "I see your eyes have since turned red... The process is going along quite nicely, for both of you."

"What process?" Edward questioned. Envy gave him a smug look.

"Can't you feel it? Nina here, after I brought her back to life, is turning into a sin! And so are you, Fullmetal..." Ed allowed his arms to drop to his sides in defeat. Only once had he ever felt this, horrible churning feeling in his stomach, signaling the fact that he indeed was changing, inside and out. When he was a sin, he allowed emotions to take over him, but found himself, in his wake, emotionless. "And so is..." Ed looked up. "This young lady." Winry stepped out from the darkness, her hair no longer blonde, but turning a weird dark brown color, probably going to turn black after a while.

"Winry!" Ed yelled at his childhood companion. There was no emotion in her eyes as she stared at him, quite blankly.

"Fullmetal, allow me to demonstrait just how much _control _I have over her at this moment." With that, Envy snapped his fingers, and Winry stepped forward, even more into the light. Ed could still see some feeling in her face. She wasn't quite gone yet, but how to save her... "Lust, why don't you show the little brat to her room?" Walking towards Nina, Winry still had no sensability in her eyes.

Ed stood in front of his young companion, now wishing he wouldn't have left Al back at the train station, praying to God that his brother might somehow realize he was in trouble. It was pretty hopeless. "Winry, please, listen to me!" For as weak as Ed had always thought Winry to be, she was able to push right past him, knocking him on his side in the ground. He coughed a little when she kicked him in the stomach, but panicked even more when she had to overtake Nina by force. Not giving up, Ed grabbed at Winry's skirt and caused her to topple to the ground, Nina finally breaking away from her strong grip and running through the front door, tears streaming down her face in fear and worry. She didn't even stop to think about Edward, even though Ed was glad she was just safe.

"Come on now, Fullmetal, that's no fun!" Envy said, snapping his fingers once again. The once peaceful feeling Ed had felt in all of his limbs was gone, dissapearing with a snap. Pain set in, a constant burning feeling that caused Ed to wretch in pain, rolling around helplessly on the cold concrete floor. Winry stepped away from him, and then fell over, apparently broken out of Envy's control. "You see, Elric, I can control you as well as her... Though I can't control you forever quite yet, it's a good start, don't you think?"

Ed couldn't answer. He was in too much pain to speak. He'd attempted crawling towards Winry before blacking out, but it didn't make much difference. She was long gone by now, in some dream world she wouldn't awake from until Envy allowed her to. And Ed was about to do the same.

A/N- Like I said, pretty short, but I didn't have that much time tonight, so I apologize. I promise the next chapter will be EXTRA LONG, okay? Please and Thank you for reviewing!


	6. Beginning of Pride

A/N- I promised this chapter would be extra long, so I hope it lives up to everyone's expectations! It took me a while, so I also hope you're all happy with it. I apologize if this chapter confuses you a little... I promise you'll understand it after a while! Trust me! You just kinda gotta finish reading the whole chapter first.

Disclaimer- I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or the characters.

Chapter 6- Beginning of Pride

When the realization of becoming a sin hit Edward for the second time, hard and strong, he was in the middle of a dream. It was nothing like he had ever seen before. Fog clouded his vision, and all around he thought he could hear the screams of children and adults alike, all crying out in pain. Something that was obviously his fault... But how?

He finally opened his eyes, although still sleeping. All he could see for miles around was a wasteland. A big, destroyed city that had become nothing but a useless mess, torn apart by an immense power. Still having the cut in his arm, he flinched when he rolled over, putting his weight on the right side of his body. Only a few thoughts were beginning to strike him at this moment. None of them seemed entirely important, but..

"Where's my brother?" Ed asked himself, beginning to panic. Apparently, he hadn't realized he was sleeping, and tore around in an insane matter, lifting himself up and running towards the empty and demolished area, hoping and praying, hell, even pleading to _God_, whom he didn't usually acknowledge the presense of, that Al was there, somewhere, maybe even buried in the rubble but at least alive and breathing. "Al?" He called out, trying his best not to expect an answer. Though when he didn't get one, he began to worry again.

It was getting so bad that he was digging in the rocks, the demolished area where buildings had once stood. Dead bodies littered the ground. His brother had to be there somewhere, only hopefully, he would be alive, and looking for Ed.

After a few minutes of almost hopeless, and unbearable digging, he thought he'd finally discovered Al.

Alphonse Elric, Ed's younger brother lay mangled among a few other bodies, exceedingly bloody, eyes shut, with an almost peaceful look on his face. And, still forgetting he was in the middle of a dream, the thought was bringing tears to the older Elric's eyes. After a mere few seconds, he was in tears, and whether his brother be bathed in blood or not, he was still hugging him, muttering instances of it not being his fault, and that he was sorry anyway, and that hopefully Al was in a better place now. Still, he didn't want to believe it. Edward was having his personal moments when Envy appeared next to him, an obvious sparkle in his eye as he looked down at what would soon become his companion.

"I thought I would allow you to witness this event now, while you still had your precious emotions to deal out to every living thing that lost a life... You are very emotional, Fullmetal, and I envy you for that." Well certainly, Ed thought to himself, that Envy had his name for a reason. "Of course, when this actually does happen, I won't be allowing you to feel anything for your brother. He's already a lost cause, though I'm sure you knew that..." At this moment, hearing someone talk this way about Al, Edward Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist, Deadly Sin Pride, snapped. He just lost it.

"My brother is not a lost cause now and he never was!" Ed stood up, not quite Envy's height, but that didn't matter. He was furious in unimaginable ways, and ready to kick some ass.

"He has been a lost cause ever since that night of your failed transmutation, Fullmetal. Don't you understand? I suppose not. It's impossible to understand how he felt, being trapped in a suit of armor for most of his life, all because of _you."_ All the tears that had left Ed's eyes in fury were returning again as he fell to the ground on his knees, gripping the rocks with his hands, his face screwed up like it used to when he was little.

"That's not true..."

"Oh yes it is, and I'm sure you know that... You want to wake up now, don't you? Go back to that world where your brother Al still exists?" And Ed felt himself nodding, crying out at the same time as Envy smiled at him evilly. "You digust me to this very day, Fullmetal. Always wanting what you can't have. Perhaps I should have named you Greed. Then again, you always did seem to appreciate yourself more than ever before, proud of absolutely everything you did, regaurdless of whether you made a bad choice or not..."

"No! I knew I made a bad choice when I transmuted his soul into the armor, but I didn't want to lose him!"

"You're going to lose him soon anyway. And his death will be by your hands, Fullmetal." Ed shook his head. Envy reached down, picking him up by the collar of his shirt, and dragging him upward, looking him straight in the eyes. Their faces were very close, and the tears were still dripping from Ed's face as he struggled to get away. Envy wouldn't allow it. "Answer my question, Edward. Would you like to see your brother for the last time, or not?" Ed nodded. "Fine."

The dream world Ed was in dissapeared, leaving him to sit in the middle of a simply gorgeous looking field with many flowers, and nothing but the sound of birds and crickets chirping. Al was next to him, just staring off into the distance. Without any explanation, Ed was hugging his younger brother, just in appreciation that he was there for him, happy to see him alive and well again, even if it was just one of Envy's cheap tricks. He remembered to himself, that if he ever did manage to get out of this predicament, he was never going to take Al for granted again. Of course, he never had after Al had been returned to a normal body again. Edward had learned his lesson the first time around.

"Ed, are you okay?" Al asked, as Ed finally let go of him. Ed nodded happily. "Brother, there is something I've been meaning to ask you... About your arm?" And Ed knew... Could this possibly be the real Alphonse? The inquisitive younger brother Edward had known his whole life, always loving and appreciative of what other people sacrificed for him? "Why was it bleeding when Havoc cut you?"

"Well Al... I really don't know how to explain everything. Somehow it just... Came back."

"That's not a very good answer, brother... But if you say so, I guess I'll just have to believe you." Another thing Ed had always loved about Al. Although Al was pretty pressing with some matters, there were just times when he would allow Ed's lesser answers to slip past. "I never did call Winry after I got my name... Not that the name is something to be very proud of." Ed couldn't agree more.

"Al, if that's really you, I just want you to know that I'm sorry... For everything that's happened." Ed said, his gaze averting to the ground beneath him as his brother stared at him in suprise, then sighed, smiled, and shook his head sarcastically, even bothering to roll his eyes. "What? I am!"

"There's really no reason, Ed. I can't remember being in any suit of armor anyway. I can only remember when Mom died, and when we tried to bring her back... Nothing afterwards." Ed nodded at him, a little happier his brother never wanted to pin the blame specifically on him. Al had always done his part, and he'd always done it right. No exceptions. "I suppose we really should be getting back to Mustang. Otherwise you know he's going to get angry." Ed wasn't sure he could go back to Mustang. He wasn't sure where'd he end up when he finally awoke, but at least he was able to see Al one last time... He hoped Envy wasn't telling the truth. Killing his brother would be the single most fucked up thing he'd ever done.

It happened in a flash, but as soon as he'd stood up to follow his brother, hopefully back to wherever Roy was located in that dream world, he awoke, laying on the concrete floor again, coughing up a bit of blood as he did so. He pushed himself up off the ground and took another good look around the room, wondering where Envy would have been off to...

"Suprised to see you awake so soon, Fullmetal." Envy stood right above Ed, looking down at him with pure disgust. He knew he still had the chance to save Al, so right now, there was only one other thought coming to the mind of Edward Elric.

"Where's Winry?" Ed asked, standing up to get a better look at his enemy. Envy waved him off. "I want to know where she is!" Pointing to a corner, Envy sighed and shook his head, wandering away hopelessly and leaving the elder Elric to do as he pleased. Winry was laying down, still sleeping. With a sudden adrenaline rush, Edward was over to his childhood friend in a flash, and seconds afterward, was cradling her in his arms. "Oh please, Winry... You can't become a sin..." And Ed knew... Becoming a sin was about the same as dying. For some reason, there was blood splattered on the once clear white shirt Winry was wearing. Ed wondered what she'd been going through, and suddenly, a memory hit him.

_"Brother, something's up with Winry," Al stated, lowering his voice so Winry, whatever she might be doing, wouldn't hear him talking about her. Ed looked up, and rolled his eyes, trying to ignore Al's protests. "I'm serious, Ed. She's acting strangely."_

_"Well maybe she changed a little while we were gone. You know, five years can be a long time to some people..." Still, Al protested._

_"How often have you known Winry to put off fixing your automail for a day at a time? She's obsessed with automail. Something's wrong with her. And aside from that..." Al took a moment to reach into the pocket of the trench coat he had on. It was red, like Edwards. What he pulled out was quite odd looking to Ed. A razor, stained with drying blood, a little bit dull from some obvious overuse. "I think..." Ed gulped. "She might be slaughtering animals."_

_"Al! What are you, an idiot!" Ed slapped himself over the face. "Where did you find that thing, anyway? If you found it in the kitchen, it's possible that's food on it or something..."_

_"I found it on Winry's bed." At this, Ed cringed a little, thinking of what this might mean_.

It came to him. Slowly at first, but something was happening, and Ed knew it was bad. Inspecting Winry's left arm, he finally saw all of the horizontal and vertical slashes alike, blood dryed and slowly becoming scars that would forever haunt the poor girl, even after she became a sin, though she would probably never realize how it all came to be.

"How could I be so stupid..." Ed asked himself. "Aw Winry, I'm sorry this had to happen to you." He held her closer, knowing he'd never get the chance to be this near to her again, and to actually understand how much it meant to him once he became a sin. The same went for Winry, though Ed wasn't sure she liked him the same way. Why should she, after all? He was a complete jerk...

Bypassing that thought for the moment, Ed knew that both of them needed to get out of that building, but how? It wasn't too much longer before they got their chance.

"Now Fullmetal, I need to go look for Wrath." He snapped his fingers, and Edward felt a horrible pain in both of his arms and his chest again as the markings glowed with crimson color, illuminating the pitch black room for just a few seconds before dying down. Ed dropped to the ground, blacking out again. "Be good while I'm gone. Try not to get too desperate in those nightmares I've created for you..." Envy walked through the doorway.

On the other side of Central, it was suffice to say that things were going a lot easier for Al than they had been for his brother.

"You know, Al, I'm actually very pleased with Edward's work for once." Al smiled and nodded, pleased his brother had achieved something with his sloppy, left-handed penmenship. "This report is half-decent, to say the least. Now where did you say your brother was off to in such a rush?" Alphonse wasn't sure exactly how he should answer. He hadn't seen Ed for the longest time now, and Edward hadn't exactly told him where he and Cassidy were going...

Lost in thought, Al wasn't broken out of his mind-numbing questions until he heard someone screaming from outside. He immediately recognized the voice to be Cassidy, and sure enough, when he looked out the window, he realized he was correct. And the other person he saw, well, let's just say he wasn't quite so overjoyed.

"Come on now, _Nina_..." Why was he calling her Nina? "You need to go back to your big brother now. He needs you..." Nina was trying to wretch away, in fear she might face the same end as her many friends.

"No! Let go of me!" She squealed, making a bigger scene than Envy probably would have liked. After all, he was in the middle of public. Not that there were many people outside to see. "I don't like you!"

"Well I don't particularly like you either," Envy sneered. "You little brat! Quit kicking and screaming and come with me!" Still, Nina was an adamant young girl, and managed to pull away with ease in the next few seconds. Not knowing how much more suspense he could take, Al jumped from the window. It was lucky for him he landed upright, and didn't break anything. His leg was in a slight amount of pain, though. "Oh god, Fullmini's little brother..." Nina went running for Al, who stood in front of her, trying to gaurd her with his life. He always had adored that little girl, and was still a little confused as to how this was Nina...

"You never give up, do you?" Al asked him, taking just another second to transmute a pole next to him into a staff. He pointed it at Envy, who simply smiled, and shrugged. "Where's my brother?" Envy didn't answer. He seemed to be playing with a coin he'd discovered on the ground. "Listen to me! You'd better answer, or I'll tear you in two!" Al moved forward a few more steps.

"Your funeral," Envy replied, and he melted away, into thin air. Nina sighed in relief. Al bent down to her height, wanting to ask her a few questions, but unsure as to whether she'd know how to answer or not.

"So, you're Nina?" He asked. She nodded, red eyes glowing with admiration. "I don't by chance think you remember me?"

"I know you from off the train earlier. And uh... That's it." Al shrugged and smiled at her, before taking her hand and readying himself to take her into the building. Roy had his head shoved out the window. Apparently, he'd been watching the entire conversation.

"Hey, Alphonse!" Al looked up to the window at his "superior," who was pointing down the street, into the distance, where Edward was running towards them at full speed.

"Ed?" Al asked, as Ed stopped right in front of him and attempted to catch his breath. Edward nodded, staring at his older brother in awe. "Did you know Envy's here!" The question was burst out as Ed flinched a little, then looked upwards at Al and nodded. "He just tried to attack... Nina? Yeah!"

"I knew something was wrong with this town," Ed replied. He motioned backwards, the direction in which he'd been running from. "There's a building back there, and there's a bunch of dead children inside!" Al's face turned immediately horror-struck. "Mustang! I don't care what you say! I have to go back there and rescue those little kids! Some of them might still be alive!" Roy nodded.

"Go ahead. I'll send some back up after you. They'll be there shortly."

As soon as Nina was safely back in the building, in the care of Riza, Edward and Alphonse were tearing down the street, running as fast as they could, desperate to save anyone still alive in that hell hole. Al seemed to be running faster than his brother. Ed was, for some reason, deciding to go a little slower now. "What's wrong, brother?"

"Oh, nothing..." Ed replied, as they came up to the second rundown building in the city. "Al, you go in first... I'm a little... Frightened of what I saw in there before..."

"Don't worry..." Al said, walking into the building in front of Ed, who stayed behind outside. "Certainly is dark..." And he knew... Just knew he was in deep when the doors suddenly slammed shut behind him, and everything went dark, pitch black, more or less. "Ed? Edward?" He wandered around, hands out in front of him, reaching around for something, anything that could explain to him exactly where he'd ended up. Al found nothing. "Edward!" Ed appeared in front of him, staring him down with an evil glare in his eye. That was when Al noticed it... The eyes weren't yellow.

"Now Al, I don't want you to be afraid but... Uh, well, let's just say, I'm hoping you're not frightened of me, seeing as I am your older brother..." A well-placed punch to the face, and Al was lying on the ground, not quite knocked senseless, but regretting following his so-called brother around.

"You don't have to pretend, Envy, I know that's you!" Without another second wasted in the short alchemists body, Envy returned to his usual shape, looking down to Al, who now had a huge red mark plastered across his face. His eyes showed that he was enraged, furious, and Envy was pleased as could be.

"I never knew you were that stupid." He kicked Al across the face as Al flinched, believing his nose was now broken. It didn't stop there. Envy was showing no mercy when he proceeded to kick Al in the stomach several times, knocking the wind out of his opponent before Al even had the chance to strike back. Talk about cheating. He didn't stop until blood was simply pouring from both Al's mouth and nose, and he had quite a few cuts on his arms and legs.

"You're going to kill me?" Al asked, shakily. Envy pulled him up by his shirt collar, as he had done for Edward, and looked straight into the younger Elric's eyes.

"No... Actually, I'm saving you for your brother. He'll be here to do you in later." And with that, Envy tossed Al down to the ground again, where he lay, coughing and sputtering in the dirt, trying not to swallow that horrible tasting blood.

Elsewhere, Ed was trying his hardest to move. He'd awoken from a painful nightmare, consisting of his brother's death for the second time, and getting beaten to a bloody pulp by an enraged ex-Fuhrer, who was obviously not pleased he was being replaced by a, as he had put it into words, "pipsqueak." He'd managed to drag himself along the concrete floor, moving Winry along slowly behind him. He couldn't just leave her there...

It was another ten minutes before he made it out the door, finally able to stand, but not sure if he was capable of carrying Winry. He had to try, however. Picking her up, and heading through the streets, he didn't stop until he felt another sharp pain.

This one was different from the others. It could only be described as though his organs were switching places within his body, and the markings were beginning to bleed. He had no idea whether this was supposed to be normal for what was happening to him or not, but it didn't really matter. The last thing he saw before he fell to the ground was Winry finally waking up, and going into a panicked state as to what was happening to Edward. Then Envy appeared above them, and he blacked out.

A/N- Long! Happy? BTW, Fullmetal Flutist, Thank you for pointing out I was using the word massacre wrong. I'll try to get around to thinking of another name for the chapter A.S.A.P.


	7. Death

A/N- Sorry about the delay, but I'm updating this story a little slower now (Sadly.) because I'm beginning on a second story about Ed CUTTING HIMSELF! What else? That's about all I'm good for lol.

Disclaimer- I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters.

Chapter 7- Death of a Friend

That rundown building was horribly dark, Al thought to himself, straining his eyes to see even an inch in front of his face. He was even unsure as to where the door was, and if he actually found enough energy to make it up, he'd probably die trying to find the entrance, or exit, as he'd very much like to think of it right now. Where was his brother, and why had Envy reappeared in Central? Something was wrong.

It was only a few minutes later before the "backup" Roy had sent entered the building, Mustang, Armstrong, and Hawkeye leading them on.

"Sir, we could use a light." Riza said, stepping onto the wooden floor that was falling apart with caution. The boards could break at any moment, and she wasn't sure she wanted to spend any time at all in the basement, especially since the upstairs was as dark as it was. A couple seconds after Riza's statement, an ironically placed keg with some wood in it was in flames. Roy's doing.

Immediately afterwards, Roy saw the body laying in the middle of the floor. Al was starting to lose conscienceness, what with all the blood he was losing at an alarming rate of speed, and Armstrong was the one to lift him up and out of the building.

"I hope Edward didn't do this," Riza said, examining Al's bloodied up face.

"Fullmetal would never do such a thing to his own brother," Roy replied. "I have no idea how this happened, but we're going to find out. I want a search party sent around town for Edward Elric. They need to find him."

Becoming a sin was about the same thing as dying. Edward Elric could tell you this whenever you had some free time on your hands.

Envy had dragged him back into the rundown building. The pain had gotten so bad now that Ed could barely breathe, and it didn't look like Winry was doing any better. At least she was coughing up blood as Ed was. He couldn't see, not that it made much difference in the pitch black building. Mostly, he was worried he'd fade into another dream again, but he really should have calmed down.

Ed was lost in thought until he felt someone pulling him upwards.

He could barely make the face out, but he saw Winry, helping him up, and Ed was positive that if he could have seen her in the light, her eyes would have been sympathetic, wanting to help him out of this situation. They were in it together, after all.

However, when he did see Winry's face in the light, it wasn't a sympathetic look he recieved. It was more like a blank, lifeless stare. The look of a sin.

"Winry? Are you alright?" No answer. "Winry?"

"Who is this Winry?" She asked. Ed looked apalled.

"I... Uh... I..." He was lost for words, or at least until Envy stepped into the room, smirking in happiness at his new companion.

"Lust, leave him be. He'll be one of us soon enough." Lust, or as Ed had spent his whole life knowing her, Winry, nodded, and proceeded out the door, into the darkness that Edward feared now more than ever before. Envy walked carefully over to Ed, who was struggling to breathe.

"Fullmetal, stop fighting it. Your fate is sealed. Allow it to happen. Accept it. Then it won't be so hard later when you're ripping your younger brother to shreads. Ed's pupils grew small as he stared at Envy, who was a blur from the terrible eyesight. Honestly, there was nothing Edward could do, and realizing this, he leaned as far back as he could, and remembering his wonderful memories with his friends and family, he allowed pain to overtake his entire body.

The last thing he saw before a red light clouded his vision was Winry.

"Well, now that that's over with..." Envy had of course been planning to leave the room, when he heard a few gunshots ringing away from outside. The military rats had apparently figured them out. "Lust..." Envy and Winry went barrelling towards a few of the idiots stupid enough to assault them, and sure enough the building was soon bathed with blood. Most of the soldiers were cleared out, when...

"Stop right there."

The voice of Roy Mustang cut through the air. A gun in one hand, gloves on both, looking at Envy angrily. Winry, who was now unrecognizable with her black hair and red eyes, fell to the ground now, already out of power as Envy stared at her. She looked helpless. After all, she was dead now. "Just tell me where Miss Winry Rockbell and Mr. Edward Elric are, and the charges won't be quite as bad."

"Horrible chance of me getting any charges, I'm afraid," Envy replied. "If you're talking about Lust and Pride, they're right here, with me, in this building."

"Quit lying and everything will be alright." Envy shrugged and sighed, doubting this Mustang character was any more intelligent than Al had been. Honestly, Envy could have taken him out right then, but Winry would need some target practice when she gained back her power.

"If you're not going to believe me, I would suggest you leave, and get as far away from here as you possibly can. Then, we'll have a fun time tracking you down." Roy readied the gun. "Alright then, I guess we'll have to leave..." Winry was still on the floor, but stood up at the slightest hint of a command from her superior. "Fetch Pride, and we'll be on our way..." Envy let out a disgusted sigh. "And then I'll have to come back for the brat later... I knew having a child would be a bother."

Winry had by this time reached the back room where Edward was being held, but she stepped backwards when a crimson light burst through the door. Ed stood there, markings glowing, once golden eyes now a deep red, staring at Mustang with a craving to kill.

"Elric, what's wrong with you? Get your ass over here before these freaks kill you!" Roy yelled, and sure enough, Ed slowly stepped over to Roy, glaring at him with a look that could terrify anyone at that moment.

And the last thing Roy Mustang saw before he died, was his once proud friend pounding his skull in.

A/N- Sorry Roy fans! I PROMISE Roy will come back, somehow. YOU WILL SEE IF YOU CAN'T ALREADY GUESS! And sorry about the dilema, but I've been working on my other story which should be up soon. Please read it! This one will be RoyXEd if anyone likes that pairing.


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